Sgt. Uriel Segal, 19: Golani Brigade soldier who had an ‘internal fire’
Killed battling the Hamas invasion of the Kissufim IDF outpost on Oct. 7
Sgt. Uriel Segal, 19, a soldier in the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion, from Petah Tikva, was killed battling Hamas terrorists in the Kissufim IDF outpost on October 7.
Uriel and 17 other soldiers holed up inside the outpost’s mess hall, waging fierce battles against terrorists invading the Kissufim outpost, when they began throwing hand grenades at the soldiers. Uriel picked up the live grenades and threw them back at the terrorists, one by one, before they could explode.
Ultimately, the terrorists threw a powerful charge inside the shelter, killing Uriel and several of his friends, including Maj. Raz Peretz, Staff Sgt. Or Asto and Staff Sgt. Teshager Taka.
Uriel was buried in Petah Tikva on October 10. He is survived by his parents, Naama and Adi Avraham, and his brothers, Netanel and Yaakov.
From an early age, Uriel dreamed of serving in the Golani Brigade, having heard stories of the brigade’s battles and bravery from his grandfather, his mother, Naama, told the Makor Rishon newspaper. He later joined the AMIT yeshiva but rejected his friends’ pleas to postpone his enlistment in the army to join them in advanced studies, and was thrilled to have been tapped for Golani, according to a friend.
As a high school student, he also visited Poland and returned with a renewed and profound view of his role in Jewish history, his mother said. A middle child, Uriel was “sandwiched between two brothers. He was born on the 5th night of Hanukkah, so we decided to call him Uriel, which symbolizes light and joy,” added Naama.
“The fact that he gave his life for the sanctity of our people and land dulls our pain,” she said. “At home and in the yeshiva, we inculcated these values in him and he grew up on loving and giving, which is how he acted in his last moments.”
Before he enlisted in the army, his brother Yaakov asked him what would happen if he fell in battle.
“If I fall in battle, I want it to be in defense of my homeland and for the sake of those who did it before me and will do it after me,” he replied, according to a eulogy by his brother Yaakov.
“Uriel was always joyful and eager to help, without any regard to religion, race or gender. That’s how I’ll always remember him,” he added.
“From an early age, you could tell he was a true friend,” Hadas Shamir, a teacher at the AMIT yeshiva told local media. “Everyone we encounter says he was a true and beloved friend and a good listener… even when he had been hanging out with friends on Friday night, he would still make it to Shabbat morning prayer.”
Rabbi Nitzan Berger, the head of the yeshiva, got to know Uriel on his trip to Poland as a 12th grader.
“It was undoubtedly a very important trip for Uriel,” he told Makor Rishon. “It attested to his true core. There was a misleading quiet about Uriel. Often, you see quiet people and assume they have nothing to say, but it was completely different with Uriel. Something important would suddenly trigger him and you could tell he had something to say, an internal fire which wasn’t always discernible. In hearing his parents, I realize he got it from them.”
